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#so i can decorate an ita bag with them

yumeka-sxf · 7 months

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I realized it's been about 1-year since I joined the SxF fandom! I first watched the anime in early October 2022 when cour 2 of season 1 started airing. I loved it so much that I immediately binged the manga...and things just kept going from there 😁 So thought I'd celebrate by taking updated photos of the merch I've amassed during that time!

Here are the three shelves of my display case where I keep most of my figures.

Their brown outfits and winter outfits in the front row are probably my favorites ❤ Though I do love Bond with the vest on the upper shelf too!

I like how the reading Forgers acrylic figures look in the shelf. The additional drawer and book stack pieces really make it look like they're all sitting reading together! (also like that Loid has a globe and Yor has a typewriter)

These large acrylic figures came with a cardboard background that just manages to fit in the shelf! So far I've had enough space in the other shelves so I don't have to squeeze additional figures in this shelf...but that probably won't last long 😅

Below is a full view of the display case.

And here's my pin and keychain collection that's currently attached to the panel of my Ita backpack. I tend to buy these in box sets since I hate blind bags, so I'm guaranteed to get one of each. I have a few more hanging elsewhere, like on my actual keys, lol.

Here's my collection of card game accessories! I play a few TCGs (like Weiss Schwarz and Osica) so I can always find use for card sleeves and deck boxes. Will put a lot of this to use when I get a case of SxF Weiss Schwarz cards early next year! The card mat (by CatCrossing) is one of my favorite pieces of SxF fan art 😊

I'm not gonna post photos of my SxF Weiss and Osica cards since there's way too many, but I did post photos of some of them previously here and here.

All my SxF books - every JP manga volume, the three anime art books, the exhibition pamphlet, and the JP and EN versions of the manga fanbook.

And lastly, a few extra figures on my work desk (I work from home, though I would still decorate my desk even if I was in an office 😆)

I do have a few more things like plushies, posters, clear files, etc, but I didn't want to take too many photos...just thought I'd focus on the main bulk of my collection! Between season 2, the movie, and who knows what else, I'm afraid to see what my collection will look like next year!

#spy x family #spy family #sxf #spyxfamily #loid forger #yor forger #anya forger #bond forger #sxf merch

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neonswitchhouse · 2 years

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PCWT: Closet Crafting, Discreet Devotions, and Inconspicuous Altars

So while not necessarily in the full vein of Pop Culture Witchcraft and Pop Culture Paganism, I’ve had several requests regarding how to work one’s craft discreetly. And so I thought, why not put a little PCW spin on things while I’m at it at least?

Whether it’s a nervousness about being open as a witch, wanting to be more subtle, or in some cases harsh living situations, there’s several reasons to want to be perhaps more inconspicuous in one’s inner ways. Though in the case of the latter situation in particular, --please-- make sure to put your personal safety and well-being first before trying any of these tips. We cannot guarantee that you won’t get in any sort of trouble for these.

Starting off, we have

In-Game Ideas

Do you devote yourself to anyone in particular when it comes to Pop Culture Witchcraft or Pop Culture Paganism that stems from a game-based source? Do you enjoy playing games focused on decorating, building, or life simulators? Then why not try these tips!

Try making an altar or devotional space in games such as Animal Crossing, The Sims, Minecraft using in-game items or even modded items! Rooms and spaces can easily be made for general purposes such as elemental altars, nature-based altars, and depending on who you work with, even items that pertain to them in particular

Use games such as the aforementioned Animal Crossing or The Sims as a form of sympathetic magic! Want to focus on self-care and inner beauty? Why not give gifts to your favorite “Snooty” villager who represents those aspects? Want to perhaps make some misfortune come to someone? Make them into a Sim and get up to some mischief with their Sim-Poppet!

Don’t have space to do your own gardening but want to still do some sort of green witchery? Why not try farming sims such as Stardew Valley or Story of Seasons to scratch that botanical itch for the time being? You can even make digital spell jars in some cases by growing the plants that best represent your purpose and placing them in chests with other items that may also best represent that purpose?

These are just some possibilities in the way of In-Game methods of spellcrafting and the like, but what about those hidden little shows of devotion or love towards someone you work with outside of their mediums?

Discreet Devotions and Obscured Offerings

Hear me out: Devotional Ita Bags. Collect charms, pins, stickers, etc. of who or whatever you work with! Work with a traditional pertaining to solar energies? Why not a brightly colored bag with sun-based imagery? Work with a pop culture deity/entity/spirtit/etc.? Places like Etsy and Redbubble just to name a few have plenty of options when it comes to fan-merch (of course make sure that the stuff from Redbubble is not stolen from other artists)

Playing an RPG game or something similar? Why not devote a playthrough for whomever you wish? Make your character a hunter-based class in honor of someone associated with hunting and the wild! Pop Culture Wise, if working with a game characters, why not play as them if applicable or even bring positive actions to your character of choice? Boost their stats, complete some quests, the whole nine-yards for them!

We’ve mentioned this before, but why not try making private moodboards, Pinterest collections, or even music playlists for whomever you work with? Energy and devotion is still energy and devotion no matter the medium, ancient and traditional or even modern and tech-focused. At the end of the day, it’s your safety and comfort that matters the most.

While this isn’t a complete list of ideas, here’s a few to get yourself started! But as we’ve said before,

Do not compromise your health, safety, and/or financial stability for the sake of your craft.

You. Come. First.

But as always,

Stay safe, have fun, stay spooky! 🦇💜

#pop culture witchcraft #pop culture magic #pop culture paganism #witch tips #pop culture pagan #pop culture witch

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dreamwinged · 2 months

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im actually becoming so mywifepilled latelyyytyt oday i somehow found a photocard of him (my kpop obsessed friends were there and persuaded me to buy it and decorate the card holders with them it was so fun EHDISJFJSJ) (he is a 2d anime boy i have no fucking idea why he has photocards but whatever i’ll collect them all) and i also just got an ita bag so FINALLY i can display all my keychains and pins and stuff in public like the little nerd loser i am and im gonna hang the photocard off it and attach some plushies and go back to the store to buy some pins bc they just restocked… then i can wear it to con in a few weeks…. this is SO FUN I LOVE COLLECTING😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭 the way i had like 0 official merch of him before… thank u japan 🙏

#i LOVEMYWIFE!!!!!#this will end in about two weeks when i have to pay my credit card bill #BUT THATS LATER AND THIS IS NOW!!! YAAAAAY BLORBO!!#. 🔮. ⋆₊˚⊹♡

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casiavium · 10 months

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You have a skyward sword ita bag?? (I’m so sorry if I misinterpreted “sws” as skyward sword)

Can I ask where you got it from and if they’re still available? I would LOVE to have that one day

Yes!!! It's the goddess ita bag by jupypoopy on Etsy, she's currently preparing for anime expo so her shop isn't open atm. I bought the full price one because it comes with the remlit pin, but she was also selling b grades at a discount (without the pin) when I bought mine!

Literally cannot rec this bag enough it is amazing. Every detail is ADORABLE. It's sturdy, has straps that adjust to be crossbody or a backpack, has so many references to Zelda games in general and not just botw. The whole front unzips so adjusting the pins is super easy and accessible.

The only "cons" I have are 1. The price (which is completely reasonable for the artist designed bag AND pin, and is honestly a steal compared to loungefly bags and stuff, but for $80 it isn't in everyone's budget) 2. The wings are snap on magnets, and though they're supposed to stay on pretty well after snapping them in, I find I worry they'll fall off and I'd lose them. Tbh this bag is my cosplay/con bag and a decoration for my Zelda collection and 3. The lime green insert hides the cute patterned inside!! I'm going to find some clear vinyl to replace it. The window is also a bit small compared to other it's bags, which is why it's my designated Zelda pins only and the keychains go on the outside

This is how big it is (and an excuse to share my cosplay)

A lot of the pins were gifts so not sure where they came from (but I can ask the gift giver) so if you have any questions or want links to those or the keychains lmk!!!

#ask #anon #skyward sword

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pastelxmilk · 2 days

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This post contains affiliate links, this mean's I may earn a small commission if you buy something ^.^ Cherry Blossom Umbrella

This cute umbrella would make the perfect gift for those who like to walk a lot. I never see too many cherry blossom themed umbrella's being sold so this could make a unique and fun gift.

Sanrio Ball Point Pens This Sanria Ball Point Pen set would make the perfect gift for students and stationery lovers alike. As someone who writes a lot by hand, you can never have too many pens in my book.

Cinnamoroll Blue Kawaii Set

Know someone who likes stationery and kawaii aesthetics? This could be the perfect gift for them if they like Cinnamoroll ♥ The blue theme is easy on the eyes and gives off an over all soft feelings.

GGOOB Cross Body Bear Purse

This small cross body bag is well worth the price for someone who doesn't like to haul around a backpack or large purse. The price makes it worth it alone if you are trying to help someone build their kawaii wardrobe.

Sanrio Bracelet Set

When I think of bracelets I think of friendships. When I was a kid my best friend and I would trade our now vintage >.< sailor moon bracelets. So once I saw these I knew I had to add them to the list.

Hello Kitty Charm Bracelet

A Hello Kitty Charm bracelet would make the perfect gift for someone to track their life events with. I have had charm bracelets customized by other stores even though my bracelet was not from them. It's a fun gift that they will use for years to come.

XGANOO 4 Piece Sanrio Bracelet Set

With the 4 Piece Sanrio Bracelet the giving goes even further. Or, you can keep them all for yourself. I like to create similar looking necklaces to my bracelets to try and create sets with them.

Sanrio Original Cinnamoroll Kids Wallet

This is a great starter wallet for all ages. With the fun design you can really show off your love for Cinnamoroll.

Mahrokh Black Cat Canvas Bag

This tote bag is one of my favorite finds. Tote bags always remind me of going green and doing my part to help keep the earth clean and the sea's clear. The design honestly reminds me of Jiji from Kiki's Delivery Service.

Jeasona Women's Cat Socks

Cute kitten socks! These would make for an awesome stocking stuffer during the holidays or for someone in need of something cat themed. Socks may be deemed a boring gift but they are a useful gift. Why not make them fun?

FUZSKWID 4 Pcs Cute Pet Hooks

These adorable pet hooks are something that I have been looking at for awhile now. What I am curious about is a weight test, none the less they can add to your aesthetic.

Cute Boba Tea Pencil Case

Having a pencil case is a must have for anyone who writes by hand or draws a lot. This is a great way to show your love for the Kawaii culture and boba tea. ♥

STEAMEDBUN Kawaii Ita Bag

Having a bag is a necessary part of my daily life. Its where I keep everything I need while on the run doing errands. Having a purse that matches my aesthetic is always a bonus too. It really added to my wardrobe.

5 Piece Sanrio Pink Figurine Set

I know this list is lacking desk decor but when I saw these at the price they are at I had to add them. Normally little figurines like this go for 4$ to 8$ a pull. At least, those are the prices I have seen floating around the internet. I know I enjoy my desk decor.

Sanrio Wrapping Paper

Wrapping everything up, literally lol. This fun Sanrio wrapping paper adds a nice kawaii touch to your gifts.

This post contains affiliate links, this mean's I may earn a small commission if you buy something ^.^

#kawaii #hello kitty #sanrio #cinnamorol #kawaii gifts #gift ideas #gifts under 15$#kawaii aesthetic #cute gifts #tote bags #sanrio figurines #sanrio wrapping paper #kawaii bag #cute cat hooks #cute cat socks

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kodaiki · 1 month

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waaaa I missed chuuuu ~ I hope that now your school can be less busy and you can finially get a well deserved break!

I feel like if we were a kpop idol there would be like a set of super rare photo cards that people fight over and try to trade for that is us and satoru kissing or just us being really cute! and it’s treated like the shiny charizard holo Pokémon card that people try to sell on eBay for (satoru secretly has all of them and bought cute stickers and toploaders that he decorated himself … he is truly our biggest fan and even has an ita bag full of cute pins and stuff plushies or any cute merch you can think of ) ꒰ˆ.⸝⸝. ˆ꒱੭ﾞ

anyway I am sending you all the loveliest and fluffiest feelings your way ~ remember to eat and drink water ! ⁽⁽ପ꒰ ྀི 𓏼´ ᩳ`𓏼꒱ ♡ ₊˚⊹

hello my sweet kuromi !!! i missed you too 😭😭 i’m almost halfway done w the week (and this is when it picks up before flaming down again on friday!) so i’m hanging in there hehe

LMAO and people on twitter overselling these pcs😭😭 OMG GOJO SO WOULD. reader would offer him the photocards since they’re friends but he’d simply refuse and be adamant on supporting her by purchasing the albums 😭

ty for the love bby! take care ( *¯ ³¯*)♡

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cakesexuality · 2 years

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If you were a bottle what kind of bottle would it be? Perfume? Wine? Medicine? How about a label? If said bottle had a warning label what would it say?

A medicine bottle, probably. I hang onto all my pill bottles when I finish a prescription in a "maybe I'll use this" way and usually I don't use them, but sometimes I do. I tend to use them for stuff in my toiletry bag, so like bobby pins and cotton swabs and stuff. I like having a cutesy medical aesthetic, I used to decorate my pill bottles and inhalers for a few years there, and a lot of my aesthetic pins on Pinterest are pills, pill bottles, syringes, etc., so the medicine bottle makes sense in that way, too.

Maybe a pink bottle, if possible, like this novelty packaging from an online lash shop:

I've seen someone on Pinterest get upset about how this packaging is "offensive" simply because it references pills, as if I don't unironically keep my own lashes in an empty antidepressant bottle lmao. Pink would make it match a bag my friend gave me for Christmas; I'm not at my house so I can't show pictures, but it's an ita bag meant to be a pill bottle case shaped like a PS1, and it's pink and purple details on black, so it's giving vibes of the Net Yaroze (that sleek, black PS1 where you could make your own games and submit demos for said games to PlayStation Magazine), and so far I've put a non-binary cat enamel pin, a She-Ra enamel pin, an Adora pinback button, and a Catra pinback button in the window part.

Perhaps the bottle contains capsules filled with glitter or cake sprinkles

Warning label? I'm tired a lot so maybe

Not even tired a lot from my meds, my immune system just doesn't know how to behave lol. I get this warning label on my meds sometimes, but when my body is adjusted to my current dose of Seroquel then I'm fine, and I don't feel sleepy from pain meds, although Robax can make me a lil dizzy at times. The only other warning label I think I tend to get is the "do not crush or chew" one on my Wellbutrin XL, but I'd hope nobody crushes or chews me :/

#opioids /#kinda #alluding to them

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mxnxnxaware · 5 days

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Σ(°ロ°)💦💦

hi hi! i've been thinking on writting on this blog since two weeks ago and i finally have the time today that's sunday. things have happened in my life so i'm kinda bummed about the fact i have to confront some problems i wasn't expecting. i have to say i don't know how to exactly deal with money problems anymore. they make me remember when i was a little kid and we had nothing we could say it was ours.

i've always been poor in a sense of not having light or hot water at home, always eating the same things week after week (the cheap stuff like potatoes, pasta or eggs) and well... when i was a teenager, i only had friends on the internet so not having wifi meant not having friends. you can figure it out.

i'm very glad things are not like that anymore. i worked my ass off to be able to live alone in a different city and i can say i feel better everyday because of the people i have by my side. i used to think i was inherently sad because of my depression, but sometimes that heals a lot when you are around people who really care about you and love you.

they make my life easy to live and i hope i can give them back the same feeling ♡

i'm gonna see porter robinson next year by the way! i can't believe i've been listening to his music almost half of my life and it's happening. i would not shut up about this EVER.

new job is starting to feel more natural to me even if my head and ears hurt sometimes and i got a new ita bag i'm gonna decore with all the stuff i keep in my house. i have discovered i can't enjoy just one way of looking because i'm a very mixed person so i thought "why not showing that in my style as well?" so the dark & goth me doesn't exist anymore. i know colors aren't for me and i already draw the attention of others at the streets but i can try some stuff sometimes, right?

this said, i have to keep a positive mind even if there will be rocks in the way. and it would be amazing if i could turn that positivity in art, but we still working on it.

good night.

#blog

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comyet · 3 years

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Prism Collection: a little not-limited guide on use & customization

Throughout the weeks of reblogging your posts and chatting with you about the merch, I got to see that some of you didn't know what exactly to do with some of your products, and also on the opposite how a lot of you use your products in various ways, and as someone who's never done merch before this was so insightful on how you folks put your merch products to use or display and I got really excited to make a post about it!! Here is a little list of suggestions for things you can do to personalize/use your Prism Collection products, thanks to all the lovely ideas I've seen from people's posts and asks 🥰💛

Palette Charm

It's surprisingly versatile because it's also one-sided!! Customization can do a lot for this charm, you can place stickers on the back if you don't know where to put those and of course, you can paint on the other side (as you can see I tried with gouache which I had never used before, I did have fun)!

I've seen people use those as a keychain obviously, but also a wall decoration, a backpack attachment, as a part of an ita-bag or as a hat pin 🥰

A lot of these ideas can be applied to the Undertale double-sided acrylic charm too, it definitely makes a statement given how big it is, and depending on how you're feeling you can switch sides to your heart's content (no point in judging someone feeling like facing Chara and sobbing Asriel right in the eyes)

Color Range Sticker Pack

I love this product because it was so much fun to work on and I'm very happy with the idea of a rainbow/vials-themed pack of stickers, so I think it's worth playing with their monochrome aspect and their size!! People have had so many good ideas with these, so I can only share the ones I've imagined while making the products, the ones followers and I figured would be lovely and ones I've seen in posts sharing the products: framing them in a single frame or in individual frames (my favorite idea by far... imagine painting little square frames omg.....), using them as laptop/tablet/headphones/overall electronics decoration, using them into notebooks/sketchbooks/mood trackers/book covers, sticking them on top of bookmarks, placing them on the corner of mirrors, putting them on bottles or the pots of plants, turning them into magnets- there's been so many original ideas to use them both individually or together, which I'm very happy to see!!

(have some absolutely atrocious stock-looking visuals I made,,)

Idk what prompted me to make this post but I hope you liked the little read!! I really loved making those products so I guess I wanted to talk about them and I think it's very interesting to know how people actually use these types of items so there are ways to be very creative with how to make them while thinking ahead. I get to learn a lot for my future products. If you have other suggestions I'd love to hear them! 💛

And also ofc, know that these items will be available on the 31st of October on my shop! ✨

#prism collection #ink sans #ink!sans #inksans #ink merch #ink!sans merch #ink sans merch

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kalipinna · 3 years

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Ita tomorrow/in italiano domani: my new collection "DIFFERENTLY HEALTHY" on Redbubble, Teespring and Threadless! You should check them out because each of them has some special objects no one else has + *sales* all over + in my Teespring shop you can use the code KALISEPT 10% off until October + on Threadless I give 5% of my earnings to a different cause for each product.

What to say? This collection was very important to me as I'm chronically sick and try to put humor in everything, and funnily enough I *was* slowed down by my body disintegrating for a few days. So of course I missed my own deadline for posting it. But still, I started and I'll keep adding designs as I go, depending on when inspiration hits.

Some things you will find everywhere, like apparel, mugs, home decor, but when it comes to “unique” things: on Teespring you get to pick among many background-colors plus you get the cute round hats, yoga mats (irony), bike short, tumblers, all kinds of stickers and more. On Threadless shoes, shirts that I can personalize giving their sleeves a different color, different types of bags, skateboards; Redbubble offers clocks, leggings, baseball hats, dresses. And I know I’m forgetting lots of unique stuff on top of the typical kind.

in the source a link to the post with all my shops and stuff

-reblog to help out a sister, but also if you are already buying on teespring consider adding even just a sticker from my stuff, a few sales and I can appear in the marketplace!

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harusha · 3 years

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i'm also pro-fiction but i'm scared to let anyone know, how can you so bravely put it in your bio and just tell any antis who message you to kick rocks? i honestly look up to it a bit

Thanks anon! It's partially because I was an anti in my teens so I know the drill and thought process (yeah super stupid of me; didn't send death threats or anything but got caught up in the cult crap in an attempt to fit in and have friends) and also because I'm old and remember what fandom was like before social media. Gonna be a bit long post too because I'm a rambler.

Like...it was a sport to create the wildest (and sometimes most repulsive) fictional content possible and pass it around for everyone to laugh at for fun.

And tbh, I also understand that antis are generally either really whiny children with no real problems and want to fit in and virtue signal or really suspicious and childish adults who thrive off the attention of minors.

Furthermore, if your (general your) friend group makes you afraid to talk to them or talk about your interests, then it's also not a good friend group (no matter the opinion or "side"). Life's too short to depend on the opinions of random internet users for validation. Really don't cater to other people and just vibe in life and do what makes you happy.

Like proship/antiship really does not matter in real life (though you should be careful with info online ofc and don't trust everyone. As a note, we had some awful crap happening last week on twitter with an anti attempting to dox a 13 y/o so ya know, example of continuously poor behavior from antis and I don't wanna associate with any of that).

Heck, I wouldn't have it in my bio (because it's like...don't wanna dig myself super into discourse for mental health reasons), but people keep having this weird parasocial relationship with me where they think that I think betrayed them or "tricked" them into following when I just reblog sfw content of various Pokemon pairings that are deemed problematic. Like bro...I don't know you unless we mutual...stop sending me weird asks...

Better to nip everything in the bud before it begins (but also people still act surprised anyway ngl. Like...the block button is right there. I don't care about follower counts since I'm just here to vibe).

And also I have adult money so I can commission all the disgusting stuff I want and I can make my own if I want because I have the skills and training to. A lot of antis don't, so it's like...who's the real winner here?

I actually bought an expensive Ita bag recently that I'm gonna decorate so... c: fandom's just supposed to be fun, and I'm gonna stick to that.

TLDR: I'm too old for this discourse and have real issues, don't care for what other people do with their paper dolls, and I don't want to associate with a group with a known history of abuse and predatory behavior. Best advice is block and go for any blog that annoys you.

#whinging #discourse cw #long post #all in all antis are a cult and a super toxic enviornment as a note and im still suffering from mental consequences of that group #and the rampant misogyny transphobia slurs and so forth don't really get to me #b/c i also spent some time on 4chan and encyclopedia dramatica as a kid so ya know #its the same ol' stuff #and just because a puritan said it doesn't make it different #theres also some other complex stuff that I would criticize the discourse for #on both sides but this isnt a discourse blog nor do i want to make it one so

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sailorfailures · 4 years

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New Years in Sailor Moon

Happy New Year, everybody!

I thought I might take this time to talk about how we briefly saw New Years was celebrated in Sailor Moon, which turned into a crash course in Japanese/Shinto New Years traditions. Plenty of pictures and links below!

New Years (o-shougatsu) was celebrated most visibly in the live action series, where we got to see the girls - Usagi, Ami, Rei, and Makoto, since Minako hadn’t yet joined up with them - celebrating in a very traditional sense in Act 14; only they didn’t actually get to celebrate on the “real” New Years, because as we saw in the previous episode, Rei, a dedicated Shinto priestess, was busy getting Hikawa Shrine ready for the many people who would be visiting.

Hatsumode is the first visit to a Shinto shrine of the new year, a tradition which many Japanese families observe. Larger shrines will even organise festivals around the event, but even smaller shrines like Hikawa will see a massive bump in visitors - which means a sharp increase in sales, too, which requires extra work, so Makoto and Ami volunteered to help.

... Even if they weren’t too happy when Usagi failed to show up as promised.

Ami is preparing wooden ofuda wrapped in protective paper. Most Sailor Moon fans are already familiar with the concept of ofuda, as Rei uses paper ones to ward off Youma and other monsters, but these are destined for people’s homes.

Ofuda are basically charms of protection - hence why Rei uses them to guard against monsters who mean to cause harm - and these wooden ones are to be placed above doorways, near significant objects, or housed within special kamidana altars. They can be purchased year-round but are typically “renewed” once a year, so it’s natural Rei is expecting to sell a lot.

Makoto is helping to braid shimenawa, sacred cords of rice straw/hemp rope that are either wrapped around or hung over the entrance of a space that is deemed sacred/pure. This can mean a building, such as Hikawa Shrine itself, or an individual object liable to house a spirit, such as a sacred tree or rock. These ones are quite large, so they’re probably going to be used to decorate the shrine, but smaller shimenawa can be used to decorate a household shrine/altar, too.

On the table we can see two more popular Shinto shrine souvenirs. The first is ema, wooden plaques that you write your wish/dreams/hopes/goals on and hang at a shrine along with everyone else’s plaques, creating a wall of wishes. These are popular year-round, but the influx of visitors means an influx of ema, too.

Ema played a more significant role in Act 8, where Usagi sends Makoto to Hikawa Shrine to hang her plaque for her (as a ruse to get her and Rei to make up after an argument).

Left: The blank side of the plaque on which Usagi has written her wish (to win the NakoNako mascot plush toy). Middle: The back of the plaque, mass-printed with a generic design, in this case sheep since November 2003 (the original airdate) was in the Year of the Sheep/Goat/Ram. Right: Rei stands before a wall of ema other shrine visitors have tied up.

If you were wondering whether Usagi’s little illustration of a cartoon character is normal or not - it very much is, and only getting more normal. “Ita-ema,” in the same vein as ita-bags and ita-cars, are ema that have been decorated with various anime characters. It’s become so popular that even officially branded anime ema are being released, including, for the first time, an official Rei Hino/Sailor Mars ema available at the Sailor Moon Store in time for 2020.

Source: http://sailormoon-official.com/store/post_852.php

The last souvenir is a pile of hamaya, lit. “demon-destroying arrows.” These good luck charms come from the tale of Yorimasu Minamoto vanquishing a demon that threatened the Emperor - his bow and his arrows were declared sacred, and ever since, bows and arrows have been thought to frighten off evil spirits. Hamaya are popular souvenirs to give to children, traditionally boys, but increasingly so with girls.

The bow & arrow’s connection with demon-slaying and sanctity is probably why Sailor Mars herself uses a flaming bow & arrow to attack after her Super power-up.

In addition, Rei sold plenty of omamori, the small, portable, cloth versions of the larger ofuda charms. Again, most Sailor Moon fans are familiar with the concept of these small charms, as they were a plot point in Rei’s introductory episode of the classic Anime.

Left: Rei buried under an avalanche of dropped omamori in PGSM. Middle: The inauspicious omamori in the classic Anime. Right: Real life omamori from one of the Hikawa Shrines (different spelling, same pronunciation) in Tokyo that inspired Sailor Moon’s Hikawa Shrine.

There are a variety of different omamori in different sizes, shapes, and colours intended to offer the bearer protection against different concerns. There are omamori for love, relationships, and good luck with exams, as well as plenty for general protection. Again, these are available and popular year-round, but would make cheap and eye-catching souvenirs for the new Shrine visitors. It’s considered very bad luck to attempt to open up an omamori and look inside, even though they appear as small cloth bags.

Another tradition for those visiting a shrine on New Years is to get your fortune told by a randomly-picked slip of paper, an omikuji. If you don’t like the fortune you get, you can try and undo its bad luck by tying it around the branches of a pine tree or nearby wall of other bad fortunes. The Japanese word for pine tree, matsu, sounds the same as “to wait”, so by tying your fortune to a pine tree, you’re telling the fortune to wait there instead of following you. Though it wasn’t at New Years, Rei herself demonstrated this practice when she drew a bad fortune in episode 90 of the classic Anime.

So that’s the New Years Hikawa Shrine prep - phew! But how did the girls celebrate “New Years” together?

They all got together in their secret hideout under Crown Karaoke for snacks, drinks, and a good old-fashioned party!

The girls all wore perfectly colour-coordinated kimono, which are very traditionally worn when visiting a Shrine for hatsumode.

They decorated the room with two kadomatsu, arrangements of pine and bamboo cuttings placed in pairs that attract and provide temporary housing to spirits and invite good fortune, along with more hamaya and a kite, which are often flown for fun (“tako-age”) around New Years.

Hanging in the centre of their screen is a shimekazari, a decoration utilising a smaller shimenawa sacred rope that guards against evil spirits just like the larger version. It’s adorned with various items of good luck, including a lobster (symbolising longevity due to its impressive lifespan), pine needles (longevity again, since they’re evergreens), and a daidai citrus fruit (“dai dai” sounds similar to “from generation to generation”, again implying longterm success), flanked by two zig-zagged shide streamers.

They also have a kagami mochi display, two round mochi rice cakes sitting on top of each other on a sanpou stand, adorned with leaves and dried persimmons. Normally, kagami mochi are topped with a daidai (real or fake) or a more-widely-available mikan, but their kagami mochi is topped with... Luna!

On the wall we can see that each girl has written a kakizome - lit. “first writing” - where people write kanji, phrases, or poetry which they feel are lucky. The scrolls are then traditionally burned on January 14th. They might’ve been told to make some kakizome as part of their Winter holiday homework, but as this is a “fake” New Years celebrated around Feburary, these might not be the same ones.

It’s an interesting snippet of characterisation to see what kanji/phrase/poetry each character considers personally auspicious! From the left:

Rei: 悪霊退散 (Akuryou Taisan, “Foul Spirit Begone”)

No surprises here - this is the phrase Rei chants when she uses her paper ofuda to disperse an evil spirit, and to attack Youma once transforming into Sailor Mars. As you can tell from her handwriting, she’s very used to writing out these kanji! It’s easy to understand why she might feel that this was her lucky phrase.

Makoto: 質実剛健 (Jitsu Jitsu Gou Ken, lit. “Temperament, Sincerity, Health”)

This is an example of Chinese poetry in kakizome. Makoto’s gone for an older phrase, but you can understand why it would resonate with her, as her name also translates to “sincerity”. The literal meaning of the phrase is somewhat abstract, but could be translated into something like “May You Be of Level Head and Good Health”. It’s also more of a masculine phrase, fitting for the ultra-tomboyish Makoto in PGSM.

Ami: 友達 (Tomodachi, “Friends”)

Ami has gone for a singular kanji/word rather than a whole phrase, and it makes sense why she’s picked this one. Her character arc so far has revolved around her making friends who don’t just want to use her for her connections/grades, and learning how to navigate sincere “friendships” for the first time in her life. The word obviously carries a lot of weight for her without needing to be part of a longer phrase.

Usagi: 初日の出 (Hatsuhi no De, lit. “First Sunrise of the Year”)

Witnessing the first sunrise of the new year is very commonly/popularly observed in Japan. Legend goes that the God of New Years, Toshigami, comes out with the first sunrise of the new year, and that if you make a wish during the sunrise it will come true in the following year. It’s very befitting of Usagi that this optimistic and wishful tradition would be what sticks out to her the most!

Also, you may have noticed that Usagi’s handwriting is somewhat different from the others - while kakizome are typically written in very traditional calligraphy, Usagi is obviously far too dedicated to following the “cutesy writing” trend (marui ji, lit. “round letters”), as indicated by her excessively rounded shapes (compare the sharp corners of Makoto’s 質 vs. Usagi’s rounded 日) and little heart doodles. Cute to the core!

And so what did they do after hanging up all of these traditional, thoughtful New Years decorations...?

Pulled it all down to have a killer karaoke party, obviously!

After all’s said and done, New Years in Japan is still a time to have fun with and connect to your loved ones. While New Years in other countries is considered a prime time to go on a date, especially to have someone to kiss at midnight, New Years in Japan is a time for friends and family (interestingly, Christmas has become something of a “date event” in Japan instead).

So there you have it! Maybe you’ve already learned something new this early in the new year!

🎊 🎉 Happy New Year! 🎉 🎊

🎊 🎉 Akemashite Omedetou! 🎉 🎊

#sailor moon #PGSM #long post #new years

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theflashdriver · 4 years

Text

Trial by Flyer (A Silvaze AU)

The campus was dark and silent tonight, the wind wasn’t whistling through the trees and what little star and moonlight would have shone its way to her was being blocked out by a thick wall of clouds. Blaze the cat, age sixteen, shouldn’t have been out here at so late an hour. Midnight had just passed, the witching hour had arrived, and yet, this feline witch was supposed to be long in bed. Instead, where was she? Sat at the bottom step of the outdoor amphitheatre, fingers steepled and her right foot tapping uncontrollably as she awaited her best friend.

The Marble Garden School of Witchcraft and Wizardry was a place of learning only for the chosen few and, as such, there were many serious rules that were mandatory to abide by. There were a multitude of simple rules that, if broken, could result in a severe punishment of expulsion; girls weren’t supposed to enter the boys’ dormitories (and vice versa), you weren’t allowed to cast nefarious spells on other students, there were to be no paid additional studies and, the rule that Blaze was currently breaking, all students had to be in their respective dormitory buildings before eleven at night. Just being out here was making her anxious, quadrupling her heartrate and making even the most minor of sounds all the more terrifying.

Blaze was a good student, well… a mostly good student; a good student as much as she could control being a good student. While she rarely raised her hand in class, only answering questions when she was called upon, she listened diligently to her lecturers, studied all she’d learned thoroughly every night, shirked social and extracurricular opportunities and took additional time at the library whenever possible. She put in more effort than any other student she knew of, that wasn’t a matter of pride so much as a fact that her teachers wouldn’t stop reminding her of. Whenever she did well on a test or whenever they wanted to give an example of a good student, her name would quickly fall from their lips followed by a heaping of praise.

Yet, despite all the praise she received and how good of a student she was, here the feline sat; so casually breaking curfew. It was as if she was trying to be caught even, a heavy bag sat beside her and she was dressed in the garb that she’d chosen as her uniform- a tall hat with a golden buckle and belt adorned her head ita long sleeved purple dress that frilled out at the cuffs and hem covered her body only to be topped by a purple-leather mantle, a set of thick purple tights with golden swirls decorating them and a pair of high heeled boots to match. The only aspect of her dress that wasn’t purple and gold were her gloves, stark white evening gloves that reached deeply into her sleeves. If she was seen, for a plain an outfit she’d tried to pick (from a very limited list of options) she’d be recognised on sight; a fact that was making it all the harder to not just run back to her-

A voice suddenly assumed the entirety of her mind’s attention, not entering through her ears but jumping directly into her brain, “Blaze! I’m so sorry, I’m running a little late. The groundskeeper was cleaning a mess outside the boy’s dorms, I had to sneak out through the window. I won’t be much longer!”

Quickly, Blaze raised her pointer fingers to the air and set their tips alight. Intricately, methodically, she traced a pair of intricate and overlapping sigils in the air and closed her eyes. The moment they were completed, she brought those fingers to her temples and thought in the loudest voice possible, “Silver. It is okay, I am glad you were not caught. I am waiting at the agreed location, please come quickly. Did you remember your notebook?”

A moment passed but no reply came.

Her fingers left her temples and her eyes flickered open but the symbols she’d cast had already faded from the air. A sigh slipped from her mouth as she recrossed her legs and resumed waiting, uncertain that her message had left her, let alone reached its intended reciprocate. He wasn’t that late, and the boy’s dormitories weren’t too far from the amphitheatre, but every second spent out her left more chance that they’d be caught. The moment he arrived, they could achieve the motive of their rule-breaking and quickly sneak back to their respective rooms.

Oh, who was she kidding; this wasn’t going to go nearly as quickly as she hoped.

It was as she had that thought that a twinkling of light, like a small cluster of stars had managed to split through the clouds, drew her attention. She looked up, frowning hard at the glow as she attempted to identify it; as it drew closer, she understood it to be the form she was awaiting. Silver the hedgehog, also age sixteen, was descending from the sky as though he was carried by a moonbeam; wrapped in cyan, psychic, light, his form was difficult but not impossible to distinguish. Before he arrived, the feline jumped to her feet and dusted herself off, quickly scanning their surroundings to make certain no one else had been watching them. He landed without a sound; standing next to her, still coated in energy, his height only just superseded hers due to the nature of his tall quills. If she wasn’t wearing heels of course, the different between them would be far clearer.

With the flaring of his fingers, the light faded from him but that new sight entirely perplexed Blaze. She’d noticed his lack of hat, thus being why she wasn’t presently taller than him, but not the lack of his other garb. Silver stood before her, dressed in a short-sleeved green t-shirt and a pair of baggy pyjama trousers.

“Silver,” She half whispered half grumbled, trying to keep her voice down but make it clear that she was perturbed, “Where are your robes, where is your notebook?”

His bright yellow eyes seemed to dance for a moment, looking to her before down to his own frame. As a realisation hit, his quills shot up straight and a hint of embarrassment overcame his muzzle, “Sorry, I forgot to drop the charm. I figured I’d be too bright if I tried to scout a path dressed normally, give me a moment.”

Like a chimneysweep dusting soot from his body, the symbols on his palms flaring, Silver began to pat himself down. With no more than those touches, he unearthed the outfit that he’d hidden- he wore open robes with flaring sleeves (cut with a keyhole window that exposed the upper portion of his chest fur), a set of baggy trousers and some thick boots with metal caps. That description made the outfit seem basic but, in truth, it was anything but that; head to toe, Silver glowed with a strange bioluminescence that matched the symbols on his hands. Scales and lines like mycelia flared additional light from seemingly random points on his person, forming jagged lines both across and up his visage. In some places it made sense, like on the buttons of his mantle and hemming his clothes, but in others it seemed nonsensical.

To conclude this transformation, he slicked his fingers through his quills and revealed what Blaze thought to be the most ludicrous cap worn by any student in this entire school. As if to compensate for the muting of his own overgrown quills, often having to be pulled back into a braid or ponytail, Silver’s choice of hat was so tall that its point had bent not three days beyond his arrival at this school. It was faintly glowing and cyan, alike the rest of his garb, but the underside of its large rim especially so. It looked as though his head was topped with a large, bioluminescent, mushroom cap with incredibly bright gills.

Reaching into his robes, he drew out his notebook and beamed at her, eyes still shining even while his hat tried its damnedest to obscure them, “There, is that better?”

Realising quite how intently she’d been staring at this magical display, Blaze quickly turned away and busied herself within her bag; though she’d thoroughly enjoyed the display, he was eating up their time. Under her breath, half hoping he didn’t hear, she murmured, “You’re so naïve.”

She pulled out her own notebook, flipping it open to her most recent writings. In a cursive, neat and elegant, font were two pages of heavily sourced notes pertaining to the history and practice of future prediction and other sorts of divination magic. She managed to walk beside him, still not looking to him, and show him the pages.

“These should help you start your essay, at the very least. All these books are available in the library but, if they’re taken out, I have my own copies that you can borrow,” She tapped one name in particular, “Look out for books and stories by and about her in particular, Amelia Rose. Her works are a lot older but, while I find them too flowery, they’re a very good source.”

She dared to throw a glance in his direction only to find him staring at the pages as if the several dozen names and notes were going in one of his ears and out the other. His words seemed to leave some kind of impact on him though as he managed to nod at them, “Amelia Rose, Amelia Rose, okay!” Blaze went to tear the two sheets free for him to slot into his own book, but a fumbling hand caught hers before he could, “Don’t worry about that, you need to write this essay too, right?” She looked to him incredulously only for him to start beaming again, “I learned a new spell, watch this!”

He shuffled his way just behind her, reaching around her shoulders. As if it was the most normal thing in the world, Silver plopped his notebook face town atop hers Almost immediately, Blaze felt her tail stiffen and bump against him as his arms came to rest atop his and his frame pushed so close to hers. Two of his fingers pushed against the back of both his pad’s covers and began to weave small circles. They traced from top left to right, gradually going along and down line after line after line. She watched as sparks of excess cyan energy, that which the book didn’t absorb, slipped from beneath his fingers and fluttered in the air before them. Quickly, the tenseness in her tail faded and she felt herself relax into his grasp, but she wasn’t thinking about that. She was simply enamoured by whatever it was he was doing.

So enamoured in fact that when he flipped his book in a single movement, uttering an overly pleased, “Tada!” It took Blaze a moment to come to her senses and realise what he’d done. Her words, her exact handwriting, had been copied onto the pages of his book. He’d learned this spell specifically so that she didn’t have to duplicate her notes for him, her notes could simply duplicate themselves.

“You’re so…” She went to reprimand for acting without explaining, for allowing his talent to swallow the entirety of her attention again, only to notice something comically foolish, “Your book was upside-down…”

“W-What? Oh, um…” He lifted it from hers, stepping out from behind her and squinting at the writing incredulously, “It’ll still work for studying though, right?”

“It should do,” She comforted him, but at the showing of his notebook a question rose to mind, “Did you get my message earlier?”

“Oh, yeah! You’re getting way better at telepathy Blaze,” He was smiling again, “You said it was ok and to come quickly, right?”

Ah, so the end of her message had been cut off. Her casting, even of that basic spell, was still far from perfect… unlike his.

While Blaze excelled at all things theoretical, she could easily write essay upon essay and was quick to learn that which she heard or could read, Silver was a master of practical magic. Without really understanding what he was doing, the hedgehog frequently found himself successfully casting spells on a whim and without particularly understanding their idiosyncrasies. To contrast this, despite putting in an equal amount of effort as her, Silver was especially bad at deskwork; he’d attempt to answer teacher’s questions and routinely be incorrect as well as, despite weeks of study, barely earn passing grades in written exams. Curiously enough, just as she mirrored his written ability, Blaze was lacking when it came to practical magical talent. When it came to offensive spells and fire magic, she was fairly adept at casting but anything beyond that seemed to be out of her reach. Telepathy was one of the first spells they’d been taught, and she still couldn’t transmit full thoughts, only brief fragments; abjuration, conjuration, transmutation and illusionary techniques, outside of only the most basic, were beyond her.

One would think that, for those reasons, the two wouldn’t get along but they’d formed a strong bond in their first year. It’d been very obvious to Blaze that the hedgehog was struggling, he wore his heart on his sleeve in such a blatant way, and she had taken some degree of pity on him. That pity had soon been corrupted by a mutual admiration of course, even during their first year (3 years ago) he’d shown such magnificent talent, and that admiration had forged the bonds of their friendship. They looked after each other, helped each other wherever possible and promised to come to the other for help… just as she had offered an exchange and asked him to break some rules tonight. She’d thought she’d have to beg but he’d agreed without hesitating.

“So, Friday’s test…” She led, knowing that day was only one more night away, “I know this is a little short notice, I thought I could maybe do this myself, but-

A pair of hands found hers, palm topped palm as her fingers held her tight.

“We help each other, Blaze. There’s nothing to worry about,” She caught his eye again and knew that he was being genuine, “Of course I’ll teach you to fly!”

Blaze’s gaze slipped from Silver. Her stomach was churning, it felt as though the world was spinning, the mere mention of that word and all it implied made her slightly sick. On Friday, they had their first real test of this semester- a flying obstacle course set up on the sports grounds, a small path that they had to complete. Even outside her difficulty casting a spell that would allow her to fly, Blaze had a rather significant fear of heights; when she’d arrived at her dorm room within the girl’s tower she’d almost panicked at the view from her window. For this reason, while other students had made the extracurricular effort to learn flight, Blaze had only just started to learn. She’d tried to find the right spell for her over the past few weeks, researching thoroughly, but none of them had worked with her specific type of magic.

“Alright, th-thank you Silver,” She managed to glance at him again, only to find that he’d leaned in closer, “What do you think the first step is?”

Silver’s hands slipped from hers, he fumbled with his chest fur in thought for a moment, “Well, it’s probably best to start at the beginning; you need to take off. From there, it’s just learning to control yourself; that gets way easier with practice!”

“Right, taking off…” She considered, still rather disgusted, “How would you recommend I do that? I don’t think your method will work for me.”

As if to exemplify why his method wouldn’t work, a gentle hue of cyan light overtook Silver’s frame and carried him into the air. He flipped to hover upside down, looking her in the eye as he sunk deeper into thought, “Probably not…” His eyes seemed to dance across her body, lingering on her hands before finishing at her feet, “I’ve been thinking about this for a while, you can make fire come from anywhere, right?”

With no more than a thought, Blaze allowed a pair of flaming plumes to emerge from her shoulders and dance in the windless night before having them vanish and growing a set of vague flame-wings, “Anywhere on my body, as much as I can muster.”

“Well…” He looked like what he was about to say was foolish, “What if you made yourself like a rocket? What if you shot fire from the bottom of your feet and pushed yourself into the air?”

It was, it was very foolish, “Silver, even if I could do that, it’d be incredibly unstable and almost impossible to balance. If my top half leaned over then I’d fly in just about any direction, I could race to the ground like a falling star.”

“I thought about that too!” He beamed, “What if you used your hands to make almost… stabilisers? Like what people put on a bike so they don’t fall over, only for flying.”

For as ridiculously as he’d phrased it, that was a fairly succinct counter to her issue. There was however a magnitude of issues still both swirling in her gut and with his plan, “Ok, but that presupposes that I can even make enough thrust to lift myself, Silver. I really doubt that I can…”

“Oh, have you tried before? Darn, I really thought it’d work…” He went back to thinking, almost seeming to scan her body again, but those words had made Blaze’s mind even more of a mess.

Her gaze broke from his and she hesitated again, looking at her hands and conjuring small flames. The rate with which flame emerged from her was something she could control but she’d never truly thought to, “Not really, no.”

“You haven’t? Can we try it then?” Her uncertainty must have been showing because he flitted back around, looking her in the eye, “I’ll stay right next to you, I won’t let you fall, I promise!”

She gulped, “Do you?” It was a question she already knew the answer to but worry was brewing in her gut.

“Of course, I’m here to help you, Blaze!” He insisted, preparing her arms as if she was already about to catch her, “I would never let you down.”

“Ok,” She took a deep breath, closing her eyes, “I’ll give it a shot…”

Blaze was rather unsure what to do with herself to become more aerodynamic, but she gave it her best. She pushed her heels together but kept her toes far apart, keeping her hands parallel but separate to her waist with her palms pointed towards the ground. Lighting a flame was easy, she had just done it with a thought, but producing a constant and controlled flame would be just a little bit harder. She focused her attention on the underside of her boots and centre of her palms, trying to pool all of her arcana evenly over those four spots.

A thought dawned upon her, “Should I I just let it go or should I jump and do it from the air?”

“T-Try just letting it go,” Silver’s voice cut through her focus, “It looks like you’re doing rea-

A single lapse in her concentration was all it took. As Blaze was trying to focus on his words, the seal keeping her flames from spilling free lapsed. A thunderous force, larger than any Blaze had tried to conjure before, burst from all of four of her extremities with an unrelenting roar and launched her straight up into the air. The moment she opened her eyes, Blaze was met with cloud but soon they passed and cracked to reveal an unending array of stars dancing around the moon. For a single moment, as her eyes lingered on the shining crescent above, she felt joy; she’d done what she thought impossible, she’d successfully taken off… but she was still soaring.

There was no ceiling to stop her and, much more terrifyingly, no safety net beneath her. She’d shot off without warning, she had no idea how fast she’d flown or what kind of noise she was making. It was possible she’d woken up the whole campus, it was probable that one of the nightguards had noticed! She was going to get them in so much trouble! As she glanced around herself in an attempt to find Silver, she forgot how important the positioning of her palms was and sent herself into an upwards corkscrew. Now spiralling, her hat having long fallen from her head, Blaze fought to regain control but soon found herself spinning on more than one axis.

Her focus and control waned, the fire at her limb’s ends snuffed and soon she reached the apex of her ascent. For the briefest of moments, she felt weightless, having tumbled up to mingle with the stars, but she very quickly found herself plummeting. With the wind rushing around her frame, Blaze couldn’t relight her form and, even if she could, her feet and hands were in such wrong positions.

She started to scream, the sound had just begun to leave her lips, when something soft found her back and hooked around the underside of her legs. She couldn’t have fallen for half a metre before that gentle touch had found her and brought them both to a standstill in the air. Lit by the moon more than his powers; Silver’s smile was huge and his eyes sparkled down at her. She’d landed in his arms; he was holding her back and beneath her legs, clutching her close to his body in an attempt to secure her. His face, his smile, it was all so close; she couldn’t recall anyone else ever looking at her like this, especially not after she failed.

“Are you alright? Don’t worry, I’ve got you,” He insisted, but before she could say a word his smile almost tripled, “You did it Blaze! You flew!”

“I-It was more like I exploded! Don’t be so naïve!” She tore her gaze from him only to be confronted by their current height. Despite her blush and false-fury, Blaze was forced to meet his gaze, “Don’t act like that was a success!”

“What’re you talking about, you took off!” He sounded so excited, “You managed to learn that so quickly, I was sure it’d be the hardest part, the rest should be a cinch!”

She felt him shift just a little, something popped into the corner of her vision; a certain black hat that’d been lost in her flight. Snatching it, simultaneously gripping him tight with her remaining arm, she used the garment to hide her face, “Stop being so naïve…it’s not going to be that easy.”

A brief silence overcame them and Blaze found herself shrinking further into her hat and, almost by mistake, deeper into his arms. Over the past handful of months, Blaze had been catching herself in these positions more and more often; every single time she had only herself to blame, though she’d usually berate him for his part in them. They’d be studying in the library, sitting side by side as they read, and her head would just so happen to find comfort on his shoulder, or they’d be walking across campus and she’d, eventually, notice that their fingers had intertwined. Prior to this year, Blaze hadn’t thought much of these occurrences, they’d just sort of happened, but idle gossip, fresh from the girl’s common room, had made her far more aware of these things.

Silver’s talent hadn’t gone unnoticed by their lecturers or, as Blaze had come to learn, their classmates. The bizarre bubbling sickness that Blaze had experienced when another student had expressed interest in the hedgehog and pried about their relationship was unlike anything she’d felt prior. Though she’d wanted to deny the rumour, she’d found herself entirely unable to.

Hesitantly, she flicked up the brim of her hat for a small glance at him. Despite her prior rudeness, he looked entirely unphased; the wizard in training was simply looking up at the sky and smiling, taking in the stars. The way the night-light seemed to colour his fur, let alone the expression it managed to put on his face, was just a little dazzling. It’d taken her a while to really understand it, but there was something rather… aesthetically pleasing about his form. Nothing she ever planned to admit aloud of course, especially not to him, but after that girl had mentioned it, the changes he’d undergone over the years and the way his eyes sparkled did make for a rather pleasing visage (even despite his silly robes).

Realising that she’d been thinking for much too long and noticing him turning back in her direction, Blaze quickly made a demand, “I want to try again.”

“Whenever you’re ready, I’m ready,” He affirmed, still smiling as his gaze returned to her, “You can stand on my feet if you want. That way you’d be up straight, it might help you get used to this.”

“It means I’ll be free of this embarrassing position, I’m willing to try anything,” She huffed but, moments later, caught herself and realised what she’d said. He was trying his best to help her, he probably didn’t even think this was embarrassing, “You’ll still… hold me, won’t you?”

“I won’t let go until you tell me too, I promise,” The hedgehog pledged.

She shifted in his grasp, clinging tightly to his shoulders, and, ever so gently, he slipped his hold from her legs. It took a little bit of fumbling but, eventually, she managed to perch herself on the tips of his boots. Despite how painful it’d surely be if they were on the ground, this change of position didn’t seem to bring him any discomfort as he glided his remaining free hand around her back.

The young witch peered over his shoulder and her gaze fell upon the thick cloud barrier beneath them. Up here, no lecturers or other students could see them; they were alone with the night’s celestial bodies. Though being above the clouds did frighten her, the fact that they couldn’t see the ground was making things a lot easier. She knew that Silver wouldn’t let her fall, she believed in his abilities, but having that a fluffy-fake ground beneath them was doing her a world of good. Gradually, she managed to shift some of the tension from her shoulders and hold him in a less life-or-death manner.

He seemed to notice the shift, “Alright, maybe you should start with your feet? That way we can keep holding each other.”

That made sense but, truth be told, letting go seemed a little easier than stepping off and into the abyss, “One foot at a time?” She hesitantly suggested.

“Try to use just enough energy to lift you but not to change how high you fly,” Silver recommended, “Once you’ve figured that out once, you should understand how it feels and be able to do it again.”

Blaze heaved a shallow breath and closed her eyes, “Okay… okay…”

She leant back just a little, allowing her left foot to depart from his frame. It took no more than a thought for her to produce a small flame but that would not provide enough thrust to keep her afloat. Slowly, gradually applying more power to her newfound thruster, Blaze felt precarious half of her body begin to shit up and away from the anchored half. Working down and up in smaller and smaller increments, she sought equilibrium for what must have been minutes before finally finding something close to it. She focused on the feeling of flames flowing freely from her heel, their exact measure and rate as well as the small pressure being put upon her knee and the greater one on the arch of her foot.

Once she’d held it for a few moments, she dared to open her eyes and look to Silver, “I think it’s time for the right one. Could you…” She hated the only way that she could think to phrase this, “Hold me a little tighter.”

Silver, without even hesitating, moved his hands to grasp the robes above her shoulder blades. The look in his eyes reinforced his prior promise and gave her all the motivation she needed. Her right foot left his boot and, though the shift in weight made her dip just a little, with its ignition, it was easy to make it match her left. Blaze found herself to be hovering, hanging in the sky by her own accord.

When she managed to tear her eyes from her boots, she found that his smile had tripled in size, “You’re doing it Blaze!”

“Sh-Shush,” She hissed, feeling herself grow redder as more flames sputtered from her soles, “I’m trying to concentrate.”

The feline took a moment; shifting the ball of her foot seemed to allow for a degree of dexterity on her part- if she angled her shoe correctly then the flames would correspond and allow her to drift. Slowly, gradually, Blaze managed to bring herself to circle the hedgehog and bring him to spin on the spot. Every time she dared to glance at him, she found an even greater look of amazement on his face. Eventually, finally, she decided to halt her practice.

“I think I’m ready,” She decided.

Silver simply nodded and, clearly trying not to disturb her, released the tension at his fingertips but did not shift his hands; he left that final move entirely up to her.

She slowly slipped from beneath his fingers but, just when as his arm were about to fall to his sides, dared to grasp his right hand, “I still want you to stay close though.”

Her movements were made more awkward and slow by her lack of an anchoring point but, soon, the two of them were gliding together. With each passing second of flight, as she acclimatised herself and grew accustomed to the movements, she felt the heavy iron ball in her gut gradually shrink. She refused to let herself think this was fun, especially not while she was holding his hand so tightly, but she did permit herself an internal admission that this wasn’t entirely awful. Skating over a sea of clouds, surrounded by starlight and hand in hand with her best friend? It was very difficult to think of this as awful, even if not seeing the ground was a huge part of it.

Tentatively, trying something new, Blaze managed to turn and face him while still flying in the same direction.

The shift came with a small increase in speed but Blaze took that in stride, “Is there anything you think I should try, Silver?”

“Well, the test is supposed to be fairly simple, it’s just a little obstacle course. It focuses on manoeuvring through the air…” He mused aloud before, in a serious tone, making a foolish suggestion, “If you’re alright with separating, we could play a game of tag?”

It was a childish proposition or, at least, that was Blaze’s first thought. Her second thought was far more positive though as she realised what his suggestion implied, his natural talent and experience flying meant that he could already soar to the academy’s standards. If she could even just follow his path then, surely, that meant she would pass too. There was only one problem- she’d have to separate from him.

Blaze brought herself to a halt, allowing her thumb to glide over his knuckles, “If I call out, I know you’ll come and catch me…” Something about this, assumedly the fact that her training had taken on such an embarrassing form, was rebolstering her blush, “But I’d like to hear you say it again.”

“If you fall, I’ll catch you, Blaze. I promise,” He swore, his smile totally vanished and his most serious face took its place, “You won’t even touch the clouds.”

Her fingers slipped from his, she was on her own in the sky, “So, how are we going to do this?”

“How about you fly away from me first and then, if I catch you, I’ll try to keep away from you?” He’d phrased it in such an honest way that, were it anyone else proposing it, she’d think they were being condescending. He really thought there was a chance that he wouldn’t be able to catch her and that he wouldn’t have to slow down so she could catch him.

Still, regardless of the difference between their skill, she was going to give this her best. Though it renewed that weight in her belly, even though she was certain that she would regret it mere moments later, Blaze pointed her toes skyward and rushed away from Silver, struggling to turn mid-air on order to see where she was going in this obstacle-less sky.

“W-Wait, Blaze, is that a yes?!” He called out and, by the sound of his voice, he wasn’t giving chase yet.

Deciding she needed this lead in order to make their game even remotely worthwhile, she didn’t answer him. Remembering the stabilisers she’d used for take-off, Blaze brought her hands to burn and, though she floundered for a moment, used their bonus thrust to shoot even further from him. That done, cloud after cloud vanishing beyond her feet, she dared to look over her shoulders and saw a cyan globule finally begin its shift towards her. Though she tried to fight it, a grin managed to wriggle its way onto her face as she looked forward. If she was bound to be caught and he’d surely gain on her soon, it was worth getting in a little practice… besides, he could surely use some training too.

With the simple quirk of her brow and through rolling her heels, Blaze feigned a movement left before shooting off towards the right. She didn’t even glance back at him after that, instead opting to try and alter her elevation; with a bit of effort, the young witch managed to align her body and crawl further into the sky as she flew away. Using her hands made all of this a lot easier, she could flare more energy into them to aid in adjusting elevation or simply increase the flames coming from one palm to force her path to bend.

“You’re doing great, Blaze!” A much too close voice called out, “I’m sure you’ll ace the test! You’re already so good!” It was getting closer by the second.

She’d known this would happen, it was an inevitability, but the pyrokinetic found that a competitive spark had stolen the spot of that metal mass in her gut. Her pulse was pounding, she knew her magic could hold out for another hour at minimum; she decided that the best way to learn was a trial by fire. Alternating hands and kicking as she went, Blaze managed to form eight quick zigzags before shooting left with all her will. Flare after flare burst from her limbs as she darted further and further above the clouds.

Unfortunately though, just as Blaze thought she was reaching the summit of what she could stomach, there was a flash of cyan light above. Blaze didn’t even have to glance to know what’d happened, Silver’s experience flying mean he’d clearly understood plotting the shortest route. Being in the lead was difficult, every harsh turn meant traveling further for the lead and a shortcut for the one behind. Simultaneous to that though, Silver was (perhaps unknowingly) about to teach her a technique she hadn’t even attempted yet. The only way to avoid him was to descend.

Blaze tried to lessen her output, but that proved far harder than increasing their potency. Once her upward thrust was spent, she began to plummet like a stone and fall feet first towards the clouds. Her hands flickered and sputtered as she tried to balance herself again, she straightened her back and shut her eyes tight as ignition after ignition failed to fully take hold. Finally, she managed to light her ignitions again… only to overdo it and rocket right back up. She shot right past him, very almost being caught.

As he rocketed up to give chase, frustrated, Blaze chose to continue to practice altitude control. Rather than snuff everything, she focused and manage to mute the flames on her feet. The difference was clear and immediate, she was slower and a lot shakier but this worked far better than trying to calm both sets of flames. She managed to drop directly in front of him only to then relight her boots and blast forward. The feline must have gotten too greedy and drawn too close because she soon felt something pad between her shoulder blades.

“Tag!” The moment she’d registered the touch, he’d called out as if they were kids on the playground.

She swivelled around in the air only to find he’d raced off in the other direction so quickly that he almost looked like a star on the horizon. Leaning into her movement, Blaze found herself flying faster than she ever had before. In the time it took to catch up to the grey wizard, Blaze had a moment to contemplate the rather miraculous change she’d experienced. She’d gone from being terrified of heights to dancing across the sky just like he could. Admittedly, she was certain those fears would return if she was on the other side of the cloud barrier or flying alone but flying around the test course with the instructors watching would surely prove easy enough. It’d been an exchange of tutelage, she’d given him notes and he’d helped her practice, but Blaze couldn’t help feeling a little indebted to her partner.

Some of that feeling waned when she caught sight of him and how he was flying though. The hedgehog flying with his back to the ground and his eyes trained upon her, he almost looked like he was sitting up in bed. Blaze understood why he’d chosen that position, it meant he’d been able to keep an eye on her and that he’d be able to fulfil his promise, but that didn’t stop it from stoking a more competitive aspect of her psyche.

It was just naivete, he didn’t know how cocky he was being, yet it still fuelled her drive! Blaze closed her fists for a moment, allowing pressure and tension to build in them just as she had when first taking off. It was terrifying to be frank but, knowing the direction she was rocketing and that the closer she was to him the safer she’d be, Blaze managed to steady herself and focus on building energy. Containing her flames slowed her in the short term, so much so that the grey hedgehog’s head cocked and he seemed to slow down. At the perfect second, just as she saw his mouth begin to open and the gap between them lingered around four dozen metres, Blaze reopened her palm.

Like catching a surprise shooting star out of the corner of his eye, he must have blinked in bafflement when he saw her for the first time. By the time he’d started to move she was already almost upon him, carried by sheer momentum more than thrust at that point, gaining more than a metre with each passing second. Finally, almost too late, he realised that he stood no chance of overtaking her- Silver’s arms opened wide and, with more than a little magic bolstering effort, he both was caught and managed to catch her.

Willing it as she entered his grasp, her flames snuffed themselves as any lingering momentum was absorbed by a combination of his psychic aura and fluffy body. Blaze found herself lying atop him, their muzzles very almost touching and the rims of their hats bumping. If it weren’t for the adrenaline currently coursing through her, she’d probably have had a lot more to say or complain about this situation but, for now at least, she was content to be back on the equivalent of stable ground.

“H-Hi,” He stuttered, plainly surprised and impressed by her showing.

“Hello,” She hummed, grasping at his shoulders to better secure herself, “How was that?”

His arms found her back and his smile quickly returned, she felt their bodies begin to descend, “You were incredible Blaze! You took to the air so well! You probably didn’t even need me for this,” That thought seemed to take the wind back out of his sails, “I-I’ll make up for the notes some other way… I’ll-

“You’re so naïve,” She cut him off, propping herself up slightly, “I wouldn’t have had the guts to come up here without you. You don’t have to worry about making anything up to me.”

The cloud barrier obscured her view of him for a moment or so but soon, she found his face and could see the grounds beneath. Weirdly enough, as she lay in his arms, it didn’t feel like the ground was all that far away. Or, well, that she wasn’t at risk of meeting it at ludicrous speeds.

Gently, slowly, he shifted upright and lowered the young witch to her feet before himself landing back near the heart of the amphitheatre. Now on the ground, a hold that’d once been for the sake of survival and security had transmuted into one born of comfort and kindness. Blaze found herself lingering in his grasp and in fact deepening her hold, the witch’s right arm managed to slip down and hold the small of his back. While she had performed subtle in this shift from practicality to affection, he wasn’t nearly so subdued in his shift. Her feet left the ground again as he hugged her with all his might, chortling as he did so.

When she returned to the ground for a second time and their eyes met again, bristles of heat crept across her muzzle. Without the moonlight, he was the only light for-

“And what time would the two of you call this?” A voice, tired and deep, sounded from one of the amphitheatre’s high seats.

Both their heads swivelled like they were about to be knocked off and their gaze fell upon a very cross and prickly looking figure, sat with a book in his right hand and crackling green energy in his left. The individual’s red eyes and dark robes, entirely lacking the oh-so-common hat most students and lecturers wore, gave away who they were and forced their joy to give way to panic and fear. Shadow the Hedgehog, the very lecturer who would be conducting the flying test, had caught them.

“Um,” Silver stammered, letting Blaze to the ground, “L-Late?”

“How astute,” He seemed to sneer, “And what say you of your current position, Blaze?”

“It’s my fault professor, I asked Silver to-

“N-No, it’s my fault!” Silver cut her off, “Blaze just wanted help, she did nothing wrong!”

“Endangering both your own and each other’s safety and being out of your dorms at such a late hour,” He tutted, “What kind of punishment to give you both.”

Blaze couldn’t help but throw a glance to Silver, the hedgehog looked entirely stern. No matter how they were dealt with, Blaze knew he would try to take it all on himself, just as she had. She was certain there was no way around it, that they’d both be punished, but, following a long and drawn out sigh, the usually cruel lecturer took a bizarre course of action.

“Pick up your things, go to your dorms and pray that I forget this infraction before I settle on a fitting detention,” Their eyes clashed again, confused, but before they could ask, the hedgehog gave a demand, “Well, go on, hurry along before I change my mind.”

They stood frozen for a second but, seeing his brows furrow, the two threw a quick glance to each other before rushing to pick up their things. He’d leaned in close as he went for his bag, “S-See you soon.”

“Yeah…” She managed to mumble, slinging her bag over her shoulders and allowing her shoulder to graze his, “Th-Thank you, Silver. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

They were forced to part ways with that as their goodbye, Silver walking

“And do remember, regardless of clouds, if you’re going to make quite so much light at night then people are going to notice!” The old man concluded his chiding, likely returning to his book, “We’re hardly in the right position to see an aurora…”

The walk back to the dorms was lonelier than her walk there by a wide margin. Though they’d parted so suddenly, or perhaps due to it, she could still see his smile in her mind. When they met again tomorrow, she’d try to make it up to him, try to engage first contact like she had in the sky, but the more that wizard’s grin lingered the more embarrassed she felt. While the pyrokinetic doubted Professor Shadow was the type to gossip, if word of their actions spread then the rumours would only get worse. Hopefully no one else had seen them tonight but, by the sound of it, they’d been rather hard to miss…

#silvaze #Blaze the Cat #Silver the Hedgehog #sonic the hedgehog #silverxblaze #fanfiction

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redemptiionss · 3 years

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Do you have a place that you keep all your pins? For me, ive just been collecting them in a box, but i kinda want to get a display for them

I have a cork board, a small display banner, & a few pin hoops so far! I still need to hang up my pin hoops.... lol. I’m trying to figure out how I really want to display my pins. I’m building a few collections and I’d like to have boards specifically for those and then one for miscellaneous fandoms. Unfortunately for some pin collections I don’t have a board yet so I’ve been keeping them in my drawer 😩😭 my poor pins.

There are different ways to display pins! Cork boards (I’ve read that you should get one with soft cork because hard cork boards can damage and break pin backs), canvas boards that you can paint & decorate!! Woohoo, shadow boxes, pin hoops (you can make them yourself or buy from a seller), felt boards, magnetic boards, pin display banners, and I’ve also seen some people use letter boards too but I’m not sure if they are mainly used just for pictures or also for actual display! Oh OH and I almost forgot, you can also display your pins in ita bags. Ita bags come as purses, wallets, backpacks etc with a clear window & an insert inside for pins!

I got my cork board from Hobby Lobby, painted the frame and covered the cork with velvet fabric to make it look nice. but I’m worried that the cork may be too hard/harsh on the pin backs loll 😩 I know of one seller who makes pin cork boards, I’ve heard that her boards are soft and very good quality for pins. Here’s her shop:

https://shoppixieexpress.com/

You can find pin hoops & banners being sold on Etsy; I got my pin hoops from here tho: https://hoopsiedaisy.bigcartel.com

I’ve seen felt boards on Amazon but idk about in stores. And finding shadow boxes in stores should be easy enough!

I hope all this helped haha 💜

#i also have an pin instagram if you want to follow me on there LOL its where i post pics of my pina #🙈🙈#answered #mookybear12404

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